Connor Jennings sets Hartlepool United points target ahead of Newport County and Salford City trips

Pools travel to South Wales to take on Newport County on Saturday before another testing fixture at the Peninsula Stadium against a play-off chasing Salford City on Tuesday.

A positive Easter weekend sees Hartlepool out of the bottom two with just five games of the season remaining.

Should John Askey’s side remain unbeaten across their upcoming away trips, their Football League destiny would likely still be in their own hands given that huge fixture against Crawley Town on the horizon.

But for Jennings, he is looking for Pools to continue their momentum by targeting back-to-back away wins over the coming days.

“Six,” Jennings said when asked what a good return would be over the next two games.

“You go into every game trying to win. We want six points.

“We’ve just got to continue what we’re doing. As we’ve shown, we’ve done really well against teams in the top half of the table, so just keep doing what we’re doing and keep believing.”

Jennings has been one of those to have played a big part in Hartlepool’s upturn in form since Askey’s arrival with three goals in eight appearances and a number of tireless displays.

“The least I can do is run around and work hard for the lads and for the club,” Jennings told The Mail.

“Hopefully I can get a few more goals by the end of the season, but I’ll keep working hard and hopefully the results will come.”

Jennings was part of the Hartlepool squad who faced Newport in the reverse fixture back in February – a match which, ultimately, would be the last for former manager Keith Curle.

Pools failed to register a single shot on target that night at the Suit Direct Stadium.

Since then, however, Pools have scored 15 goals in eight games under Askey, taking 12 points from 24 and Jennings believes plenty has changed since the last meeting between the two sides.

“It was a disappointing game,” said Jennings.

“We had no shots on target but it just shows you what a few weeks can do and a bit of confidence and momentum.

“I’d like to think a lot has changed from the last time we played them.”